Learn to use Research Center resources to research your own home! Archives Administrator Megan Sanford will teach you how to use city and county records, Sanborn Insurance maps, and more to learn the history of your home. This fun and informative workshop is the perfect introduction to your home's history and accessing records in the Research Center!

April 12, 2:30-4:30pm
Non-members: $20, Members: FREE
15 spots available, advance registration is required. Call 406-452-3462 or visit to register.

On Second Saturday, April 12, retired Great Falls School District Superintendent Dr Cheryl Crawley, will present Language, Education, and Inequality in Montana History: From Crow Agency to Great Falls. Cheryl will share memorable events and photos from her experience (45 years ago) as the bilingual education director for the Hardin, Ft Smith, and Crow Agency school district. 

In 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Bilingual Education Act into law, nearly all Crow Indian children were coming to school speaking only their native language. 

In 1978, Cheryl was hired to lead the program at Crow Agency by Hardin Superintendent Dr Willard Anderson, who had formerly been principal of Paris Gibson Junior High School in Great Falls. The objective was to retool delivery of education to support both languages at school. 

Despite her background working in Europe and Southeast Asia and her training in linguistic anthropology, Cheryl found herself at the heart of an unanticipated political, economic, and religious drama that she writes about in her book, Native American Bilingual Education: An Ethnography of Powerful Forces. 

Great Falls Tourism and The History Museum & Research Center have partnered together to open a new exhibition, "Feisty Women," celebrating the lives and achievements of 5 trailblazing women in history: Mary Fields, Alma Smith Jacobs, Annie Busby, Nancy Cooper Russell, and Norma Ashby Smith. The exhibition will open Second Saturday, March 8. Great Falls Tourism will premiere their new documentary, Feisty Women, directed by Shannon Newth in The History Museum’s Ozark Club at 1pm. Admission to the program is free and open to the public.

The exhibition and documentary premiere are part of Feisty Women Week, a celebration of tenacity and determination running from March 3-9, 2025. Visit Great Falls has curated a variety of events and activities honoring these remarkable women and their lasting impact. More information about the events can be found on Visit Great Falls’ website: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/feisty-women/

On Second Saturday, February 8, Montana Historical Society Historian Kate Hampton will present Lifting as We Climb: Union Bethel AME and Social Justice in 20th Century Great Falls in The History Museum’s Ozark Club at 1pm. Hampton will discuss the role of Union Bethel AME Church and its members in the struggle for civil rights during the mid-20th century and current efforts to preserve the building for continued use in the 21st century and beyond. The Union Bethel AME Church in Great Falls stands as one of the most significant properties associated with Montana's African American Civil Rights history.

Organized in 1890, congregants dedicated Union Bethel's current church, the sole historic purpose-built Black church in use in the state, in 1917. By the 1910s, Jim Crow infiltrated Montana's codes and Great Falls' local ordinances, placing restrictions on Black residents' ability to marry, work, and patronize businesses. Unofficial but pervasive policies placed many constraints on African Americans. White business owners barred Black patrons from their restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels. Labor unions forbade Black membership, excluding African American workers from the best-paying jobs. In response, Union Bethel AME became the center of Great Falls African American citizens' civil rights work for social uplift, education, and equality at the local, state, and national levels.

Kate Hampton is the Community Preservation Historian at the Montana Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office, where she works directly with local community preservation programs to document and preserve their cultural resources. Her past work includes several years with Preserve Montana as the Director of the Most Endangered Places Program, coordinating Montana’s National Register of Historic Places Program, and working throughout the West as a Research Historian with Historic Research Associates, Inc. She directs the “Montana African American Heritage Resources” projects which identify, research, and document resources and places throughout the state associated with African American history in Montana. She served as executive producer and co-writer of the documentary Hidden Stories: Montana’s Black Past. She authored The Best Gift: Montana’s Carnegie Libraries, as well as numerous book chapters, essays, and articles.

You are invited to experience the rich cultural heritage of Montana's Native American communities through a free admission program from the Traditional Native Games of Montana on Second Saturday, January 11! At 1pm in The History Museum’s Ozark Club event room, expert presenters Laura Tolmich, Traditional Games Director, and DeeAnna Brady-Leader, Traditional Games Planning, will lead the engaging and interactive event. They will delve into the history and significance of traditional Native games, highlighting efforts to recover, restore, and preserve these important cultural practices.

During the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about the history and cultural significance of traditional Native games,

• View traditional game pieces and understand their importance,

• Understand game rules and benefits, past and present,

• Participate in a fun and interactive tournament, testing their chance and intuition.

The presentation will be offered at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. Tolmich and Brady-Leader will also be available to answer questions before and after each session.

On Second Saturday, December 14, join us for a free admission presentation by Carol Bradley in the Ozark Club at 1pm:”Twisting in Air: The Sensational Rise of a Hollywood Falling Horse.”

In "Twisting in Air," Bradley chronicles the fascinating history of stunt horses in Hollywood, from the dark early days of inhumane treatment to the development of specialized "falling horses" trained to tumble safely on command. This free admission presentation will explore the gritty and glittery era of Western movies, where an extraordinary group of horses made cinematic magic possible. Bradley will share behind-the-scenes stories from iconic Western films, highlighting the unique bond between stunt riders and their horses. The story of Cocaine is detailed here, a thoroughbred-quarter horse mix who overcame a debilitating injury to become one of Hollywood's most sought-after falling horses. Coke’s work included doubling for John Wayne's horse Dollor and appearing in numerous John Ford-directed Westerns. Bradley's presentation will offer a unique glimpse into the world of Hollywood stunt work, animal welfare, and the art of filmmaking.

Carol Bradley was a newspaper reporter in Tennessee, New York, Washington D.C. and Montana. After studying Animal Law as a Nieman fellow at Harvard, she began writing about animals in the U.S. Twisting in Air is her third book. She lives in Great Falls with her husband and two rescued dogs. She currently serves as Board President of The History Museum & Research Center. Find out more at www.carolbradley.com

Join us for our annual Gift Shop Holiday Open House on Second Saturday, December 14 from 12pm-5pm! Shop for a wide variety of Made in Montana gifts and Montana books right here on Machinery Row. During the Open House, take an additional 20% off sale items. A purchase in the Gift Shop helps support our mission to preserve and share the rich heritage of North Central Montana. Don't forget that members of The History Museum & Research Center also receive a discount on regular purchases, starting at 10%.

Local women’s a cappella group Sound of the Falls returns to The History Museum with a special performance, Christmas Carols, in the Ozark Club at 12:30pm with free admission.

At 1pm, author Carol Bradley will give a captivating presentation of her new book, "Twisting in Air: The Sensational Rise of a Hollywood Falling Horse," in the Ozark Club event room.

In "Twisting in Air," Bradley chronicles the fascinating history of stunt horses in Hollywood, from the dark early days of inhumane treatment to the development of specialized "falling horses" trained to tumble safely on command. This free admission presentation will explore the gritty and glittery era of Western movies, where an extraordinary group of horses made cinematic magic possible. Bradley will share behind-the-scenes stories from iconic Western films, highlighting the unique bond between stunt riders and their horses. The story of Cocaine is detailed here, a thoroughbred-quarter horse mix who overcame a debilitating injury to become one of Hollywood's most sought-after falling horses. Coke’s work included doubling for John Wayne's horse Dollor and appearing in numerous John Ford-directed Westerns. Bradley's presentation will offer a unique glimpse into the world of Hollywood stunt work, animal welfare, and the art of filmmaking.

Carol Bradley was a newspaper reporter in Tennessee, New York, Washington D.C. and Montana. After studying Animal Law as a Nieman fellow at Harvard, she began writing about animals in the U.S. Twisting in Air is her third book. She lives in Great Falls with her husband and two rescued dogs. She currently serves as Board President of The History Museum & Research Center. Find out more at www.carolbradley.com

At 1pm on Second Saturday November 9, join us for a free admission presentation in the Ozark Club to learn about the hook and ladder days of the Great Falls Fire Department from Ashleigh McCann, Collections Curator. This free admission program will feature The History Museum & Research Center's Great Falls Fire Department Collection which includes photographs and objects from the late 1800s to the 1920s. McCann will share insights from her research with the collection as well as tales from the early days of the department's history, including notable fires, the horse who was given a retirement banquet, and a revered fire chief who started his career as a travelling circus performer.

At 1pm on Second Saturday October 12, join us in the Ozark Club to hear true, terrible, and chilling tales from Great Falls' early history with Archives Administrator, Megan Sanford! Not recommended for young children, this presentation will speak of murder, death and suicide. Once you hear the tales, you won’t look at some places in Great Falls the same way again.

Megan Sanford, Archives Administrator for The History Museum, graduated from Great Falls High school and then the University of Great Falls, now the University of Providence, Great Falls. Sanford draws this selection of grim tales from her decade-long experience assisting researchers and her research for her prolific contributions to the museum’s blog “Spray of the Cascades.”
 
Concurrently, local author John Stephenson-Love will be signing copies of his new book “The Northern Montana Division: The Milwaukee Road.” John does a thorough exploration of the Milwaukee Road’s Northern Montana line, the most successful branch of the 1,418 mile Pacific Extension. His book was reviewed and approved by the Milwaukee Road Historical Association.
 
John Stephenson-Love grew up in Great Falls. He attended public schools in Great Falls, Montana for ten years and finished his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. John graduated from Yale University in 1956 and Harvard Law School in 1960. He paused his law studies to serve a one-year tour in the U.S. Army. Returning to Great Falls, John established a law practice that spanned 51 years.

Join us at The History Museum for the opening of our new Research Center to the public on Second Saturday, September 14. The event will begin with a ribbon cutting at noon followed by self-guided tours through 4pm of the new Owen & Gayle Robinson Research Center. Attendees will enjoy demonstrations of how artifacts, photographs, and documents are cataloged and preserved. A reception in the Ozark Club event space, sponsored by TDS Fiber, will offer light refreshments and live music on Celtic harp by Lonnie Baker. Executive Director Kristi Scott will give a presentation on Child Artisans at the Fort Shaw Industrial School at 1pm in the Ozark Club while self-guided tours of the Research Center are ongoing.

The Owen & Gayle Robinson Research Center expands our capacity for researchers, adds a small classroom, and allows for a much-needed update of an ADA compliant restroom to the second floor. Visible storage of artifacts and archival materials is a feature of the Research Center; restoration of an original 1929 windowed wall will allow visitors to view the museum behind the scenes through the Visible Vault.

This expansion allows for additional climate controlled and secure storage to house important collections as they are offered to the Cascade County Historical Society/The History Museum for generations to come. Please join us September 14 at noon to celebrate our expanded ability to cultivate preservation and celebrate shared heritage!

The opening of the new Research Center & Visible Vault and Scott’s presentation are offered to the public with free admission.

On Saturday, August 10, Big Sky County National Heritage Area Inc. will premiere the film, The Spirit of the People: Black Eagle and the Anaconda Company, by Erin Schermele Films. This debut production features the complete history of the Anaconda Copper Mining Smelter and Refinery in Black Eagle, MT from its earliest beginnings to until its closing in the 1980s. 

The film highlights a three-part oral history interview with Dick Sloan, the last operations director for the Smelter. Sloan discusses photos from an old Smelter scrapbook – plus more from his personal collection that illustrate the historic Black Eagle smelting and refining operations and the faces of Black Eagle workers. Sloan is now employed by the MT Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and works closely with the Black Eagle Civic Club’s Technical Advisory Group, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ARCO, and many other stakeholders to determine what ARCO needs to do to clean up the Black Eagle residential yards and eventually the smelter site itself. In that role, Sloan has often been heard to say, “I know where all the bones are buried.” Of course, what he means is that he knows where slag was buried on site. He can suggest where soils testing and evaluation should be done to develop ways to prevent the remaining arsenic, cadmium, lead, and other metals from leaching into the Missouri River.

The History Museum will be open to the public 12pm-5pm Second Saturday with free admission. The film premiere and short talk begin promptly at 1pm with Dick Sloan and representatives from Big Sky Country National Heritage Area who funded the project. For more information, please call Carol Bronson, Big Sky Country National Heritage Area at 406-452-5921 or Kristi Scott, Executive Director of the museum at 406-452-3462.

For Second Saturday June 8, The History Museum is partnering with the Sun River Valley Historical Society and the Gathering of Descendants Committee to celebrate the 120-year anniversary of the Fort Shaw Girls Basketball Team! The program begins promptly at 1pm in the school gymnasium.  Join descendants of the incredible basketball team, local preservationists, and hear from author Linda Peavy who researched and wrote Full Court Quest: The Girls from Fort Shaw Indian School, Basketball Champions of the World in 2008. She will be available to sign books after her talk.

Location: 1 School Loop, Fort Shaw, MT 59443. Leave Great Falls at noon and explore the Fort when you arrive!

In May of 1904, ten girls set out from the Fort Shaw Indian School for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri: Minnie Burton, Emma Sansaver, Nettie Wirth, Belle Johnson, Genie Butch, Rose LaRose, Flora Lucero, Katie Snell, Genevieve Healy, and Sarah Mitchell. Their talent for basketball earned them a place at the Model Indian School featured at the World’s Fair in Chicago that year. The girls played two games a week against various teams, never losing. When the girls weren’t on the court, they were staged either in the school or the traditional housing for the fairgoers to view. This story was unknown to most of the world until 1997 when a group of high school students from Sims uncovered their story while researching a history project.  Authors Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith spent the next 9 years doing research for their book Full Court Quest. A monument to the team was built at Fort Shaw and in 2010 Playing for the World, a PBS documentary, was made.

Please join us and the descendants of the Fort Shaw girls’ team to gather in Fort Shaw to honor their relatives. Attendees are welcome to tour the historic Fort Shaw grounds, cemetery, and monument thanks to the Sun River Valley Historical Society who maintains the Fort. Cascade County Historical Society/The History Museum will give an update on access to primary sources concerning the Native American boarding school era and their new Research Center. There will be raffles and a special honoring of many who have helped build and maintain momentum of this incredible story.

The Great Falls-Cascade County Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HPAC) and The History Museum are pleased to announce a joint award ceremony for the 2024 Preservation and Legacy Awards. The 2024 Award Reception will be held at the Celtic Cowboy Dark Horse Hall on Saturday, May 11, at 1:00 PM.

The Preservation Awards honored by HPAC will celebrate the Civic Center Façade Restoration and the O'Haire Motor Inn "Retrovation."

The Great Falls Civic Center, opened in 1940, was partially funded by the Public Works Administration as part of FDR's New Deal. It has held city offices, cultural events, conventions, and public meetings for 84 years. In 2011, a façade analysis by Hessler Architects revealed severe deterioration and recommended repairs. In 2016, the report was updated, and in 2017, CTA Architects were hired to plan the restoration. In June 2020, the City Commission directed staff to pursue a funding strategy, and Talisman Construction was awarded the $5.7 million contract in 2021. The project took extensive measures to ensure repairs matched historic materials and maintained the building's character. The restoration was finished early this year, and an official ribbon cutting was held on April 19, the anniversary of the original dedication of the building.

The 1961 O'Haire Inn was built to be the premier lodging destination in Downtown Great Falls, with clean Mid-Century Modern lines and bright neon signs out front. The Sip n' Dip Lounge opened soon after construction as a tiki bar, and has kept the theme ever since. The famous mermaids were introduced in 1995, and a 2003 GQ article launched the lounge into national fame. A 1990s renovation changed the character of the Inn to suit more "modern" tastes, but in 2022, owner Sandra Johnson-Thares began a rehabilitation project that restored the Inn's groovy Mid-Century character. While the façade work is complete, Johnson-Thares continues to add interior furnishings and finishes, including some of the original fixtures that were kept in storage.

The History Museum's Legacy Award will honor Owen & Gayle Robinson for their commitment to preservation work in Cascade County. The Robinsons took a leading role in negotiating with the newspaper chain Gannett to acquire Great Falls Tribune reporter-file records stretching back decades and making them accessible through The History Museum. Owen Robinson's service with Cascade County Historical Society began in 1979 with his first board position, and he served several times as board president. The Robsinsons have contributed significantly to the new Heritage Center building project in Helena and are life-time members and Owen joined the Charles M. Russell Museum national board after retiring from The History Museum. The Robinsons continued to support plans to create a unique Research Center at the History Museum, opening September 2024. He and his wife Gayle are committed to preserving and sharing the heritage of Cascade County and will be this year's recipients of the History Museum's award.

The Preservation Awards and Legacy Awards are held annually to honor the people and projects that keep and share Cascade County's history. In previous years, these awards were presented separately. This is the first year the awards will be jointly recognized.

Disease, dwindling buffalo herds, starvation, and the losing fight with the Canadian government to retain land and personal rights forced many Métis and their Chippewa or Cree families to flee to parts of Montana and North Dakota in the 1860s to 1880s. 

Candi Zion, interviewer, discusses the lives of these Métis and their families with their descendants who now live in the Browning area, Rocky Boy Reservation, Box Elder, Havre, and Wolf Point. They reveal their ancestor's hard lifestyles, hard work ethics, education, military service, and often unwillingness to discuss Indian heritage. The interviewees also share stories about their own life; education, work, experiences of prejudice and exhibit varying degrees of an understanding of their ancestry. 

Join us for Second Saturday, December 9 at 1pm in the Ozark Room for this special presentation and discussion.

Visit us for our annual Gift Shop Holiday Open House from 12-5pm on December 9. Women’s a cappella group Sound of the Falls will sing Christmas Carols at 12:30pm. Enjoy a 20% discount on clearance items, and remember that your History Museum Membership gives you a discount on your Gift Shop purchase!

Supporting The History Museum means supporting ongoing preservation of North Central Montana’s rich history and heritage. We look forward to seeing you December 9!

Don’t miss:

Walkin’ Down the Middle: The Hi-Line Métis with Candi Zion at 1pm

Tours of the Second Floor Remodel Project with Executive Director Kristi Scott at 2:30pm and 3:30pm

The History Museum will be open with additional hours this December: Tuesday-Saturday, 12-5pm until Christmas!

Veteran’s Day, November 11th, will be the grand opening of our newest exhibit: Never Ending: The Korean Conflict Remembered.  This year is the 70th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the fighting in Korea.  But how did we get to war in Korea, what happened and how did it make the two Koreas what they are today?  See this beautiful exhibit and get an in depth tour with Megan Sanford, The History Museum’s Archives Administrator.   Learn about the war from before to after and hear local stories found in our archives.

John Roberts y Pan Blanco returns for Jazz Night 2023! Enjoy Indian/East African fare by Saibeen’s Kitchen included in your ticket price.

Doors open at 6:30pm, music starts at 7pm.

Ticket sales open early for History Museum Members August 1 and open to the the public August 8.

Tickets for History Museum Members: $60 / Non-Members: $75

Purchase tickets by calling 406-452-3462 or visit The History Museum

https://kgpr.podbean.com/e/electric-city-currents-the-history-museum-s-night-at-the-ozark-annual-gala/

Join us for Second Saturday September 9 at 1pm for a free admission program! Ken Robison will discuss his new book, Order Without Law: Vigilante Tales of Old Fort Benton.

The famed Montana Vigilante story centers on Henry Plummer & X. Beidler in Bannack & Virginia City in the early 1860s. Little has been known about the vigilante activity later in the 1860s in the booming and lawless riverport town of Fort Benton. Montana historian Ken Robison will take you through the streets of the Bloodiest Block in the West and the Hoo Doo Block to unveil the hidden tale of the vigilantes and lawman X. Beidler in Fort Benton.

With the removal of the saloon as a social gathering place during Prohibition, drug stores across the nation added soda fountains and adapted to become a welcoming, wholesome places for folks to gather. Serving ice cream sundaes and soft drinks instead of beer and hard liquor, the drug store soda fountain filled the void left by the elimination of the saloon as a social gathering place. Interestingly, during the same time, the drug store also served as an alternative source of alcohol in various forms. Join Mark Johnson for a multisensory exploration of how the unique business of the drug store/soda fountain served as a substitute for the saloon during the era of Prohibition.